Rotary wheel side delivery rake



Nov. 3, 1953 I G. B. HILL 2,657,519

ROTARY WHEEL SIDE DELIVERY RAKE Filed Dec. 1, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v INVENTOR GEORGE Z5. H/Ll.

ATTORNEY Nov. 3, 1953 G. B. HILL ROTARY WHEEL SIDE DELIVERY RAKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 1 1950 INVENTOR GEORGE B. /7/LL BY ME EMM- ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3, 1953 ROTARY WHEEL SIDE DELIVERY RAKE George B. Hill, New Holland, Pa., assignor to The New Holland Machine Division of the Sperry Corporation, New Holland, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application December 1, 1950, Serial No. 198,515

7 Claims.

This invention relates to rakes and more particularly to the art of side delivery rakes.

It is concerned with the type of side delivery rake wherein a series of rotating wheels mounted generally in an echelon relation are driven broadside into a crop to be raked and it is an improvement on known rakes such as the one shown in the patent issued to Beck 468,382 on February 9, 1892. The present invention provides a novel structure for mounting the series of raking wheels whereby they may be driven to rotate and includes in the preferred form, a frame design adapted to mount the rake on a tractor. This inventionalso makes use of a simplified drive system for rotating the wheels.

As shown in the drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view of the rake, shown mounted on the front end of a tractor;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the machine shown in Figure l, partly broken away;

Figure 3 is an end view of the linkage system used for raising the raking wheels; and

Figure 4 is a sideview of a feeler means which may be associated with each of the raking wheels.

The wheels forming the raking means of the invention are mounted in a suitable frame and it will be obvious that the frame can be either, a self supported wheeled frame, or a two wheeled frame with a third support on a tractor at the front end or at the rear draw bar thereof, or the frame can be designed to be supported entirely by the tractor by being mounted in its front end so that the driver can watch the rake as it is driven through the field. V

The preferred form of the tractor mounted frame structure is best shown in Figure 1 wherein a-relatively heavy beam member I0 is mounted on the front end of the tractor frame at one side of the motor so that it may be easily moved from or mounted in place. The front end of the beam Ill carries a generally vertically disposed bearing plate and apivotally mounted arm ll that is adapted to carry the raking structure so that it may be raised or lowered with respect to the ground, is mounted to oscillate over the surface of the bearing plate. This carrying arm H oscillates about a bearing l2 that is fixed to the beam Ill and the arm has a large flat area that rides against the bearing'plate so that it can buck up against the beam Ill and be supported in the vertical plane of the plate as the rake wheels push backwardly against the arm ll during normal usage. The arm H has a bearing 13 at its outer end which supports an axle l4 that serves as the main drive for the machine. Axle I4 is driven from the power takeoff of the machine of the tractor by any suitable drive connection.

The axle it that is rotatably mounted at the outer end of the carrying arm II also supports a raking wheel It at its front end and bearings i6 and ll are carried on axle I l behind wheel I5, for a purpose that will appear more fully below. Axle i4 is keyed to the hub of wheel Iii and it rotates in the direction of the arrow as shown in Figure 2. Baking wheel I5 is the center wheel of the three wheels mounted in echelon relation and is moved up and down with the outer end of arm II. The wheel It has a relatively large diameter and is provided around its periphery with a series of resilient raking teeth it which lift the crop up from the ground and deliver on to the next wheel in the series of raking wheels.

The bearingslfi and IT support secondary bearing arms 2:: and 2| respectively which carry bearings 22 and 23 at their outer ends for rotatably mounting the other two raking wheels 24 and 25. Each of these wheels has approximatelythe. same diameter as the center wheel 65, andthey also carry resilient raking teeth It fixed to their peripheries.

Each of the raking wheels 24 and 25 is driven from the axle I l and for this purpose a pair of sprocket wheels 28 and 29 are keyed to the axle l4 for cooperation with a pair of sprocket chains 36 and SI. The chains 36 and 3| are trained over corresponding sprockets 32 and 33 keyed to the axles of 2 1 and 25 so that the wheels are driven to rotate in the direction of the arrows as shown in Figure 2.

The several wheels are all mounted at the ends of arms that may oscillate about generally horizontal axes and all of the wheels may be lifted or lowered simultaneously by a suitable linkage mechanismrfor proper adjustment With respect to the ground during normal raking operations. Obviously they may be lifted well off of the ground for transport purposes when driving the rake to and from the area to be worked upon. This lifting linkage mechanism includes a suitable leverage system and resilient hangers connected to the carrying arms adjacent the bearing supports for the Wheels whereby a cable or operating link may be carried back to a position near the drivers seat on the tractor so that all of the rake wheels I5, 26, and 25 can be quickly lifted or lowered as need be.

The lifting mechanism is best shown in Figures 2 and. 3, where it is shown as being supported above the several lever arms that carry the raking wheels. For this purpose, a support stand including the uprights 40 and 4| is carried on the beam l and the uprights support a horizontally disposed bearing 42 at their upper ends in which the rock n ba 43 is car ied Th r 43 has suitable forwardly and downwardly pro-- jecting arms 44 fixed thereto, each of the arms 44 being connected respectively at their free ends to one of the arms ll, 20, and 2| through the support springs 45. The springs 45 have suffi: cient tension to support the arms and their corresponding raking wheels durin normal operation of the rake.

The oscillating rocking shaft 43 also has a generally upwardly and rearwardly extending arm 46 fixed thereto which is connected to the and may be lowered by theraising of the lever 45. so. that the arms ll, 20, and 2| may be lowered to bring the Wheels into. close proximity tov the ground. When the rake teeth [8 are adjusted toward the ground so that they are spaced an inch or two fromthe. surface of the soil, the drive connection through the. drive shaft l4 may be coupled to the power-take-off of the tractor and the raking wheels 1.5, 24., and 25. are thus drivento rotate so that the teeth l8 carry side.- wise, any grass or other crop disposed in their path, as the wheels are. driven broadside through the field. Referring to Figure 2, it is seen that the. crop is delivered from the end wheel 24 tothe center wheel 15 and from that wheel on tov the third wheel 25. in the series from where. it isv deposited on the ground to form a windrow.

AS. the. rakeis moved. through the, field, the wheels are moved generally broadside into the out crop so that all of the material is delivered from front. of the rake from wheel to. wheel until it passes from. in front of the endwheel.

of the series. The wheelsare driven. at a proper speed to effect the delivery of .the crop, by con: trifugal actiQn, .Off of the end of the teeth 18. and

the-raked cropreadily passesfrom wheel to wheel s. the rake is driven along. The speed. .of m: tation of the raking wheels may be varied as.

desired but is. dependent primarily upon. the density of the crop being raked and thus when there is a larger volume of hay. or the like in the field, the wheels. may be rotated faster to pass the-material more. quickly across the face of the rake. When the crop is lighter, however, the

wheels may be slowed down and the hay may be delivered from one end of the rake to the other'with the least possibility of damage to the delicate. leaves which provide the more nutritiousfood ingredients of the hay crop.

Theuse. of a rake of this kind having rotating wheels arranged in echelon, provides a simple means for raking a field of cut and cured hay and since the raking teeth l8 are nearly always maintained above the surface ofthe soil, the

hay can be raked cleanly without stirring up any dirt; 1. pebbles. which might. otherwise become mixed in with the hay to detract from itsvalue 4 as a food crop for cattle. In order to insure that the raking teeth l8 of the wheels will never dig too deeply into the ground whereby to eliminate the possibility of an undue lifting of soil or rocks, a suitable feeler arrangement 50 may be provided as shown Figure 4. The feelers so, preferably each take the form of a loop of rigid material such as a pipe bent to the shape shown, and an individual feeler is fixed to each of the bearings I6, 22, and 23 which support the several raking wheels. The loops 50 extend downwardly from these bearings so as to contact the soil when the wheels are dropped suddenly or when a, ridge is encountered and when the feelers drop against the ground they function to hold the wheels above the surface of the soil. The loo-ps- 50 are normally spaced a bit above the soil, however, whenever a bump, rock or ridge is encountered, the particular wheel associated with that feeler is lifted so that by the time the wheel falls down again against: its spring, the obstacle will have been passed and there is little possibility that any dirt or rocks will be stirred up and carried over with the hay material being raked.

Under conditions such as those discussed above where there may be a heavy or light. crop, it. is.

sometimes desirable to change. the. angularity of;

hasbeen shown in the drawings, it isapparentthat suitable provision could be madefor mounting frame H} atany desired angle; with respect. to. the tractor chassis to accomplish. this purpose, It is apparent that many modifications. such as this may occur to those skilled in theart which will fall within the scope of the following I claim:

1. A side delivery rake comprising. a, frame, and means supporting same. for ground traversing movement, a-plurality of -raking wheels. disposed inechelon 'tor'mation for rotation. in. substantial- 1y 'Verticalplanes, vertically; movable suspens on means sup-porting saidvv respective wheels from said frame for relatively independent vertical. movement, and lifting mechanism. carrie lby said frame for simultaneously: vertically adjusting said suspension means and. raking. wheels, including a rigid movable. element, and resilient means connecting said element. to each of saidv suspension means to provide av flQ till 59 193.1 sion for the respective. raking wheels,

2. A tractor mounted. side deliverv raise having a series of cooperating rotating. 11 els provided withrakingteethtaround their respective pe iphcries, said wheels being mounted .forrotation in, perpendicular planes. transverse to the movement of the tractor, comprising a. beam removably mounted on the front. end of the tractor, an armmounted: on said beam. for. swingin movement in a transverse plane relative 10- the tractor movement, one. of. said series. 91 raking. wheels. being rotatably. mounted. on the free end. of. said. arm, other. support 11 ing. mounted on. sa dlf rst. .f sw' sins; mo ment a out. he rotat onal s of saidla t mentioned. Wheel, ther whe ls. a dser s being o tably suppor eda t e irceencls; of sa d ot rms, re

.silient s snen ic or sup ort ng. s id arms. and combine with a d. su p sion meansto. imulta ousl adjus the position o all of said armswith respect to the round.

3'. A tractor mounted side. delivery rake com?- pr s g a rigidframe fixed on the tractor, a r gid.

arm swingable on said frame in a plane transverse to the movement of the tractor, a drive shaft carried adjacent the free end of said arm for movement therewith and for rotation about an axis substantially aligned with the tractor movement, flexible transmission means connecting said drive shaft to a power take-01f on the tractor, a secondary arm swingable about said drive shaft, a raking wheel rotatably carried by said secondary arm for adjustment about the axis of said drive shaft, and a flexible drive transmitting rotation from said drive shaft to said wheel in all positions of said wheel.

4. The combination of claim 3 including a rake wheel fixed on said drive shaft for rotation therewith, and lifting mechanism resiliently connected to both of said arms to simultaneously vertically adjust said arms and wheels.

5. A side delivery hay rake comprising a frame and means supporting same for ground traversing movement, a first rigid arm swingable on said frame in a plane substantially transverse to the said ground traversing movement, a first raking wheel rotatably supported at the free end of said arm, a second rigid arm mounted on said first 3 arm for swinging movement about the rotational axis of said first raking wheel, a second raking Wheel carried by said second arm for adjustment about the rotational axis of said first wheel, and flexible drive transmitting means connecting said wheels for simultaneous rotation.

6. The combination of claim 5 including means resiliently supportin the free ends of both said arms.

7. The combination of claim 5 including flexible power transmission means operatively associated with said first wheel.

GEORGE E. HILL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 468,382 Beck Feb. 8, 1892 2,447,354 Morrill July 8, 1946 2,532,652 Wray, Sr Dec. 5, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 17,636 Great Britain 1900 304,118 Germany Mar. 6, 1918 

